Grabowski T.B., N.L. Ratterman and J.J. Isely. 2008. Demographics of the spawning aggregations of four catostomid species in the Savannah River, South Carolina and Georgia. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 17:318-327.

Abstract

We collected scales to determine age and growth of four catostomid species (northern hogsucker Hypentelium nigricans, spotted sucker Minytrema melanops, notchlip redhorse Moxostoma collapsum, robust redhorse Moxostoma robustum) from the Savannah River, Georgia-South Carolina in spring 2004 and 2005. Robust redhorse was the largest species; reaching sexual maturity at an older age and growing faster as a juvenile than the other species. Spotted sucker did not achieve the same size as robust redhorse, but reached sexual maturity at younger ages. Notchlip redhorse was intermediate between the abovementioned two species in age at maturity and size. Northern hogsucker was the smallest species of the assemblage and reached sexual maturity at age 3. Both robust redhorse and spotted sucker were sexually dimorphic in size-at-age. The range of life history strategies employed by Savannah River catostomids encompasses the range of life history strategies exhibited within the family as a whole.